Star: How Warren Beatty Seduced America by Peter Biskind


Star: How Warren Beatty Seduced America
By Peter Biskind
640 pages; Simon & Schuster

Sexy, sexist—and seductive. We mean Beatty and the book.


Unfinished Desires by Gail Godwin


Unfinished Desires
By Gail Godwin
416 pages; Random House

The seasoned author revisits familiar territory: Catholic school in the 1950s. Fascinating, always.

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The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin


The Happiness Project
By Gretchen Rubin
320 pages; Harper

Easy ways to change your life for the better. Hint: There's singing, cleaning, and reading involved.

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Day out of Days by Sam Shepard


Day out of Days
By Sam Shepard
304 pages; Knopf

A new collection of typically off-kilter short pieces from the moody playwright-actor.


Talking About Detective Fiction by P.D. James


Talking About Detective Fiction
By P.D. James
208 pages; Knopf

The mystery master discusses the genre for those who write it and those who read it.


Nanny Returns by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus


Nanny Returns
By Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus
320 pages; Atria

Will she have her own baby this time? Stay tuned....


U Is for Undertow by Sue Grafton


U Is for Undertow
By Sue Grafton
416 pages; Putnam

The latest installment in the hugely popular Alphabet series. Only five more to go.


Footnotes in Gaza by Joe Sacco


Footnotes in Gaza
By Joe Sacco
432 pages; Metropolitan

A comic book that gives new meaning to the term "graphic novel": about critical conflict in the Middle East.


Cleaving by Julie Powell


Cleaving: A Story of Marriage, Meat, and Obsession
By Julie Powell
320 pages; Little, Brown

The Julie and Julia author sets her sights on fresh meat—in a butcher shop.

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From the January 2010 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine